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Brisingr (book)
Brisingr BRIS-ing-gr is the 3rd book of the Inheritance Cycle. It was released on September 20, 2008. Cover flap summary Oaths Sworn . . . loyalties tested . . . forces collide. Following the colossal battle against the Empire's warriors on the Burning Plains, Eragon and his dragon, Saphira, have narrowly escaped with their lives. Still there is more at hand for the Rider and his dragon, as Eragon finds himself bound by a tangle of promises he may not be able to keep. First is Eragon's oath to his cousin Roran: to help rescue Roran's beloved, Katrina,to whom Roran is engaged, from the evil clutches of the Ra'zac. But Eragon owes his loyalty to others, too. The Varden are in desperate need of his talents and strength - as are the elves and dwarves. When unrest claims the rebels and danger strikes from every corner, Eragon must make choices - choices that take him across the Empire and beyond, choices that may lead to unimagined sacrifice. Rich with a thoughtful examination of Eragon's maturing psyche, "Brisingr" explores how Eragon must come to terms with his role as a leader and the moral obligations that weigh heavily upon his young shoulders as a Dragon Rider."'' Plot summary Brisingr starts four days after the Battle of the Burning Plains, as Roran, Eragon and Saphira watch as a group of worshipers of Helgrind with missing body parts perform ceremonies on slaves. Eragon desires to free the slaves but realizes the foolishness of the idea. Later Roran asks Eragon if he could teach him to use magic, and Eragon teaches him the words "Stenr Risa", and warns him to be careful should he succeed. Eragon teaches Roran to shield his mind and is amazed by just how strong his love for Katrina is. Eragon then proceeds to heal Roran's shoulder, though it drains his strength more, especially just a few days after the Battle of the Burning Plains, because he figures Roran may be killed as a result of his handicap. Revenge As they prepared to attack Helgrind, Eragon reaches out with his mind, and touches a flower in the rock, which shouldn't have been able to grow. He comes to the conclusion that much of Helgrind is in fact an illusion. The three of them journey to Helgrind, where they are attacked by Lethrblaka and Ra'zac. Eragon realizes that for some reason, he can not sense the Ra'zac's minds, which is why they were so easily ambushed. The Lethrblaka and Ra'zac are defeated with Saphira chasing the former. After a while of searching, Eragon finds where Katrina is held, and they are ambushed by the two Ra'zac again. The result ends with Roran killing one of them and Eragon's face being burnt with Seithr Oil from where the Ra'zac grazes him with an arrow, which is subsequently healed. After discovering the cells, Roran rushes to free Katrina while Eragon decides to look in the other cells, where he finds Sloan, the butcher, with his eyes pecked out. Eragon does not know what to do, he feels that he should not kill Sloan in cold blood, and realizes that if Sloan is killed, or let go, it will cause permanent tension between Roran and Katrina. Eragon hears Roran coming down the hall saying he has found Katrina and required help to remove the door. He then puts Sloan to sleep with a spell and tells Roran that he is dead with his neck broken, which Katrina stoically accepts. Saphira contacts Eragon, informing him the last Lethrblaka is dead, but that their battle was seen by fishermen fleeing to Dras-Leona, and by now, Imperial troops are likely on their way to Helgrind. Fleeing Helgrind Eragon sends Roran and Katrina off on Saphira and goes back into Helgrind before Saphira could stop him. He meets the remaining Ra'zac and it attempts to strike a deal with Eragon. The Ra'zac begs Eragon to tell tales of it and its race as the monsters of legend, in exchange for information on Galbatorix. The creature then cryptically claims Galbatorix is close to finding the name but didn't not specify to what. Without further information, Eragon refuses the deal, prompting the Ra'zac to attack him in fury, and Eragon ultimately kills the creature with his staff. Eragon escapes with Sloan, and barely avoids a contingent of soldiers. After some time, he realizes that he must eat, and hunts some rabbits and lizards, he eats the rabbit and half a lizard before waking Sloan up and giving the rest to him. During this time, Eragon decides to begin eating meat again after enjoying the meal, and forms the idea that moderation is more logical than zealotry. Running over Sloan's life and motives in his mind, Eragon whispers a trio of words that he thought embodies Sloan, and he realizes with Sloan's reaction after a few attempts, that they are, in fact, Sloan's true name. He is shocked and doesn't know what to do, so he contacts Islanzadi (who is on the outskirts of Du Weldenvarden with her army laying siege to Ceunon). After getting her advice on the situation, Eragon sends Sloan on his way to the elves using the binding magic of his true name. He ponders the idea of the elves restoring Sloan's eyes, but doesn't tell him, lest Sloan beg the elves and receive them out of pity rather than changing his character. Trial of the Long Knives Nasuada is compelled to suffer The Trial of the Long Knives against Fadawar,who is the leader of the dark skinned people, to maintain leadership of the Varden and the Wandering Tribes. It is a competition where both competitors cut slits on their arms from the elbow down, until one of the 'competitors' decides that he/she cannot take another cut again. There is a maximum of six cuts per arm, to prevent permanent damage. Hardening your arm makes the pain and damage worse, so relaxing it is the best choice (other than not competing at all). Nasuada manages to win, after recklessly making two cuts in a row. After the Trial of Long Knives, both competitors are prohibited from healing their arms with magic in order to feel the full force of the pain. Although this is rather slanted as if the winner healed his/her arm, he/she would forfeit the match. Angela says: "Only men would think of cutting themselves to determine who the pack leader is, idiots.", leaving her opinion of the contest in no doubt. Search Roran, Katrina and Saphira arrive at the camp, and after a brief questioning, Arya decides to go and bring Eragon back to the Varden herself. In the meantime, Eragon runs into an eccentric man named Tenga. Tenga lives in an old elven building, is able to use magic, and owns books and compendiums on just about everything, including the Ancient Language. During the encounter, he raves about finding the answer to his "question", which he never reveals. Reunion Passing through Eastcroft, Eragon happens to pass upon Arya, who has disguised herself as a human and is being harassed by farmers. They talk briefly, then sneak out of town in the dead of night. Outside the city, they run into a group of soldiers and are forced to kill them. Eragon punches a soldier in the chest during the battle, and badly damages his hand. After the ordeal, Arya heals Eragon's hand as he ponders how to avoid such injuries in the future. He uses magic to form large callouses on his knuckles, inspired by the memory of dwarven "fists of steel". When Arya tells Eragon to use Aren, Brom's old ring, to recover his strength, he discovers a massive pool of energy within it. Arya advises Eragon to save it for a more important time. As they make camp for the night, Eragon and Arya talk about her imprisonment, and how it felt to kill. He sings a flower for her, and she makes a small boat made of grass, enchanted to fly through the sky forever by feeding on the energy of plants below it. Spirits suddenly appear in the camp and, upon learning that Eragon set free the spirits within Durza, give him an euphoric experience. After they leave, the two notice that the lily Eragon made had been turned to gold and gems and was alive amazingly. Marriage While Roran is in training, Nasuada asks him if he wants to be assigned under another man, saying he should do so in order to advance in the ranks. Roran asks Nasuada if the mission could wait until after Eragon comes back so that the marriage between him and Katrina could commence as early as possible, so Katrina could keep her honor. Nasuada understands the implied meaning and reluctantly agrees. The twelve elves Islanzadi sent to aid and protect Eragon arrive at the camp, much to Nasuada's relief. The leader of the group, Blödhgarm, son of Ildrid the Beautiful, has the fur of a panther, the eyes of an eagle, and the fangs of a wolf: what he believes to be the definition of beauty. He also has a very strong and seductive smell that only affects females, though Blodhgarm never takes advantage of the effects of its influence. Nasuada asks Captain Garven, one of her Nighthawks, to enter Blodhgarm's and the other elves' minds to ensure that they are not human spies of Galbatorix. Though Garven doesn't lose his mind, as some who enter the minds of elves do, he is visibly affected by the ordeal. The Curse Lifted Arya and Eragon soon arrive back to the camp, much to Nasuada's and the army's relief. The next day, he sees Angela casting her dragon knuckles to give two women their fortunes. One is handsome with scars on her wrists, as if from shackles, and the other a teenage girl with the forearms of a swordsman. After they leave, he speaks to Angela and discovers that Tenga was Angela's master, and that he always had a new question to answer. Eragon goes to Nasuada's tent to lift the curse on Elva. Using a long, complex counter spell that took a great deal of time to create, he initially thinks he failed. However, Elva realizes shortly that she can now choose to ignore the pain of others if she pleases, though she still retains the ability to sense them. Elva tells those present that she will use her powers for whatever she pleases from now on, including taking down the Empire and getting whatever she desired. She stops Eragon from casting another spell that would harm her, and leaves the pavilion. Eragon is disappointed, her adoptive mother is hurt and dismayed , Angela is infuriated, and Nasuada is stunned. Gifts of Gold The next day, Eragon uses a spell to draw gold from the earth, which any spell caster should be able to do. He forms the gold into three hazelnut-sized spheres, then heads into camp. First, he goes to Gedric, (the tanner he stole the leather from when he left Carvahall) admits to and apologizes for taking his hides, gives him the first ball of gold, and tells him that the leather was used to make Saphira's saddle, to Gedric's delight. He then pays a visit to Jeod, who is looking for another tunnel or passage like the one he found in Gil'ead. Jeod explains to him the Black Hand, Eragon's mother Selena , and the time that he and Brom spent looking for Morzan and the eggs. He gives Eragon a copy of the Domia Abr Wyrda, which Eragon highly values, thinking to himself "I own a book". Lastly, Eragon gives one of the orbs of gold to Jeod's wife, Helen, who vows to use it to build a commercial empire. Eragon promises Jeod that he can ride Saphira. A New Sword Eragon goes to Fredric, the weapons master, to get himself a new sword. Fredric goes through a variety of blades before realizing that Eragon has fought edge-to-edge with Zar'roc, something that would ruin an ordinary sword. He first recommends a mace, to which Eragon replies "It's a metal club." He says that it didn't feel right to him, and he couldn't have killed Durza with a mace. Finally, he suggests a falchion, which can stand up to big impacts and block with the side more easily then a traditional blade. Eragon reluctantly agrees, missing Zar'roc, though he reinforces the weapon with magic. On the day of Roran and Katrina's wedding, 300 of Galbatorix's soldiers, led by Murtagh and Thorn, attack the camp. While engaging in an aerial battle, Eragon is stunned when Murtagh's physical strength and speed exceeded his own, but is eventually able to drive him away with the aid of Arya and the other twelve elves. Eragon passes out briefly after the battle, but is called back to the Varden's camp to help - something has gone wrong in their battle. It is soon revealed that the soldiers feel no pain from their injuries, allowing them to fight on despite horrific wounds (only decapitation can stop them). This ability allows them to slaughter many of the Varden's warriors, sowing confusion among their ranks. The soldiers also utter a shrieking, maniacal laughter as they fight and are wounded, further demoralizing their foes. Wedding Roran and Katrina are married only a few hours after the battle. Nasuada provides a substantial amount of gold for Katrina's dowry, since she has nothing else. Eragon gives Roran Snowfire as a wedding gift. He also presents both Roran and Katrina with enchanted rings he made from the last gold sphere that allows them locate each other at any time and alert Eragon and Saphira if ever they need his help. After he goes to a healer, he meets a man who was hurt in the battle where Murtagh first fought Eragon. He somehow gained the ability to see energy as light, as he could see that Eragon has a great deal of energy, the energy of the diamonds in the Belt of Beloth the Wise, and the enormous store of energy inside of Aren (the ring Eragon inherited from Brom). He claims Murtagh 'was lit by others', as though other lights, of such power and fury, are behind Murtagh's strength. Tronjheim After the wedding, Nasuada orders Eragon to attend the election of the new Dwarf King. He is reluctant at first to leave, but agrees under the condition that Saphira join him during the coronation and then they can leave to Ellesméra afterward to complete their training. Eragon is accompanied by Garzhvog for part of the way. Just before arriving at Tronjheim, Garzhvog returns to the Varden. Mission Meanwhile, Roran was placed under the command of Martland Redbeard and met the spellcaster Carn. Roran's first mission under Martland was to raid a supply convoy. With his hammer and shield in hand Roran charged in on Snowfire. Along the way Roran slew four soldiers by himself. His friendship with Carn was strengthened in this struggle and Martland praised Roran for his courage. Arrival Upon arrival at Tronjheim, Eragon was immediately reunited with Orik, grimstborith of the Dûrgrimst Ingeitum. He was shocked to see that Orik now had a wife, Hvedra, and, like Orik, she welcomed Eragon as her kin. A Forest of Stone Eragon was then invited by Orik on a trip to the Forest of Stone. It was here that Orik asked Eragon for his support during the election of a new Dwarf King. Eragon then explained what Nasuada has asked of him, much to the anger of Orik. Orik then forwarded his idea to Eragon as a means to gain his support. After much discussion they began to descend the mountain and walked through the underground tunnels to Farthen Dûr. The Men Who Feel No Pain On his second mission, Roran was forced to fight against an army of men who feel no pain. Detecting no magicians among their enemy, Martland's company was split into three groups, one led by Roran, another by Martland himself and the last by Ulhart, Martland's right-hand man. The three groups staged an ambush from three sides. The battle was long and weary. Eventually the three groups had to retreat to the water in order to slow down the enemy. It was there that the remaining soldiers from the Empire were wiped out. After the battle, Martland's right hand was chopped off by a soldier assumed to be dead. Martland refused to accept treatment and proceeded to take the raided supplies back to the Varden. Assassination Attempt At Farthen Dûr, Eragon was assigned four bodyguards by Orik. In his quarters, an assassination was attempted on Eragon by Az Sweldn rak Anhuin clan and one of his bodyguards was killed. Angered by this, Orik convinced the other Dwarf clans to banish Az Sweldn rak Anhuin from their lands. Eragon then summoned Saphira to Tronjheim. The Dwarves then proceeded to vote for a new king. It immediately became obvious that Orik and Grimstborith Nado would be the more likely candidates. The New Dwarf King At the end of the day Orik was crowned the forty-third Dwarf King and his first order as king was to prepare the dwarves for battle against the Empire. Saphira arrived before the coronation and repaired the Isidar Mithrim during the coronation. Eragon and Saphira then flew toward Ellesméra. Meanwhile, Roran, who had disobeyed his superiors orders to ensure the survival of his fellow soldiers, was punished by Nasuada for insubordination. She gave him fifty lashes and then had magicians heal him, although Katrina disapproved of the punishment. Then Nasuada sent him on another mission to lead men and Urgals to prove to the Varden that the Urgals are not traitorous. Roran must fight an Urgal according to Urgal customs, (with bare hands and no armour) to claim leadership of the battalion. Both survive, but Roran won the battle and leadership of the battalion along with the urgals newfound respect. His True Father Eragon and Saphira reached the edge of Du Weldenvarden where they contacted Oromis. Oromis told them to come to Ellesmera to complete their training. Upon arrival in Ellesmera, Eragon inquired about his father. Glaedr told him that his father in fact was Brom and that Murtagh was only his half-brother. This was also one of the things that Brom told Saphira while Eragon was injured near Teirm. Eragon was delighted and Saphira showed him a memory of Brom talking to Eragon as his father. Oromis showed him a fairth of Selena, his mother, whom Eragon described to be very beautiful. A Rider's Sword After telling Oromis about Solembum's words about the Menoa Tree, Eragon dug around the roots yet found no sword. He begged Rhunön to make a new sword. She refused and told him that the Riders' swords were made out of a material from the sky that she called brightsteel. Eragon went to the Menoa Tree again, and tried to wake her up to solicit her help. Saphira attacked the tree to wake it up, and because she didn't like being ignored. After bartering with the tree, she located a large chunk of brightsteel under her roots, and informed Eragon of it. Brisingr Rhunön helps Eragon to make a blue sword called Brisingr, which bursts into flames whenever Eragon says "Fire" in the ancient language. Oromis then instructs Eragon on how to move items with magic. HARDEST DICK Eragon then asks how Galbatorix got his power. Glaedr says that every dragon has an organ called an Eldunari, or heart of hearts. If they want, they can transfer their soul to their Eldunari. Galbatorix has taken all of the Eldunari and taken their power. Glaedr gives Eragon his Eldunari. Before leaving for Feinster, Eragon visits Sloan, who has arrived in Ellesmera. Seige of Feinster and Gil'ead Eragon reaches Feinster while the city is under siege. In the city, a Shade named Varaug is summoned by three magicians which Eragon, Arya, and Saphira kill. Eragon then helps Arya vanquish Varaug mostly by chance, who turns out to be a wicked and powerful magician. Through Glaedr's Eldunari, he senses that Oromis and Glaedr are in Gil'ead, fighting Thorn and Murtagh. Galbatorix takes control of Murtagh and kills Oromis and Glaedr. Eragon tells Arya and Nasuada about his parentage, Oromis and Glaedr, their deaths, and the Eldunari. Nasuada makes plans to march to Belatona, Dras-Leona, and finally Uru'baen. Different Editions *Poland: Mag Publishing House Characters *Indicates new character *Angela *Arya *Blödhgarm* *Brom *Elva *Eragon *Fadawar* *Fiolr* *Galbatorix *Gannel *Garzhvog *Gilderien the Wise *Glaedr *Helen *Horst *Islanzadí *Iorunn* *Jeod *Jörmundur *Katrina *Lethrblaka *Murtagh *Nado* *Nasuada *Orik *Oromis *Orrin *Ra'zac *Rhunön *Roran *Saphira *Sloan *Solembum *Selena *Tenga* *Thorn *Trianna *Varaug* *Vermund* Chapters *A list of chapters with their respective point of view. Inside the book Brisingr contains a dedication from Christopher Paolini to his family, friends, publishers, editors and fans. Map of Alagaësia Reception David Durham of the Washington Post praises Paolini for his streamlined prose, but says the novel drags a lot in the middle. He says Paolini shows greater maturity during some of the quiet moments of the novel, although he notes these parts could bore younger readers. Durham finds that Paolini's new characters are original, and that he adds depth to characters from the previous novels. In contrast, Sheena McFarland of the The Salt Lake Tribune says Paolini "hasn't learned how to create characters that readers can relate to," although she praises him for strong female characters in the book such as Arya and Nasuada. McFarland calls the last 50 pages "riveting", but says they are a "paltry reward for trudging through the 700 preceding pages".Sheena McFarland (October 4, 2008). Books: 'Brisingr' bores with its meandering. Salt Lake Tribune. Accessed 2008-10-10. Excerpt *See Light and Shadow. See also *''Eragon'' *''Eldest'' *Book 4 *Book 4 Suspected Outcomes *Timeline of Brisingr *Anti-Eragonism External links * http://www.eragonhq.com/Eragon_Headquarters/Home.html - Fan site * Alagaesia.com, Official site * Shurtugal.com - Fan site USA * Brisingr.net - Fan Outlet USA * Eragon1.net - Fan site CZ/SK * Shadeslayer.com - Fan site USA * Eragons.com - Fan site Spain * Saphira.pl - Fan site PL * Eragon.atw.hu - Fan site HU * Brisingr.info - Fan site * Cluberagon.myhosting247.com - Fan Site es:Brisingr nl:Brisingr (boek) * http://www.randomhouse.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780375826726 Publishing site Category:Inheritance books Category:Inheritance cycle